State

Sewage spill into waterway tops 14M gallons

SUFFOLK, Va. (AP) - Thousands of gallons of raw sewage spill into a tributary of the Nansemond River from a ruptured main.

The 9-inch break occurred during Hurricane Sandy. The cause hasn't been determined but authorities suspect the storm was a factor.

A Hampton Roads Sanitation District spokeswoman says more than 14 million gallons of sewage has spilled into Shingle Creek since divers discovered the rupture last week. Nancy Munnikhuysen says the flow has been reduced to about 1,000 gallons per minute.

A bypass to stop the spill is expected to be installed by Friday.

Munnikhuysen says the spill isn't affecting drinking water in the area.